A Tomato Box Fairytale
by SarahTonin
Summary: Veneziano has had to pretend all her life to be a boy to save herself from her promiscuous relatives. When Romano comes to visit her, she unknowingly eats the forbidden fruit of the tomato box fairy's treasure. This angers the fairy and a curse falls on her, turning her into a boy, but she also took the memories of the person Italy loved the most. Germany/Italy Fem!Italy /HRE
1. Departure and Curse

The day he left, the flowers had begun to bloom again. The wind whipped the skirt of my borrowed dress around. He gazed back at me with such sad eyes. Both he and I knew that we couldn't be together. We shouldn't. Not now. I didn't want him to forget me. I gave him a pair of my bloomers He blushed furiously, but accepted my parting gift. He had gently pressed his lips to mine. The sweet moment ended as he ran away. He said he'd loved me. That he had from the 9th century. But it didn't matter. I didn't want to see him get hurt. I headed back to Austria's house, feeling more alone than the time they brought me here for the first time.

Hungary met me at the door. She could see the tear stains on my face. She embraced me, and I cried into her apron. She tried to comfort me. "That silly boy. It's really for the best. If Holy Rome knew the truth, he would be so heartbroken. It's mostly my fault, I think. If I hadn't dressed you up like a girl, you probably wouldn't be hurting so much. Oh, it's such a shame that you're a boy."

"Why would being a boy matter so much? When you lose someone you love, it always hurts."

"I forgot. Your family is a bit more…liberal. I really don't think Holy Rome would love you in the same way if you were a boy. They don't approve of that sort of love." When she saw the look on my face, she added on, "But I could be wrong. He could love you all the same."

I didn't know much of love. Compared to the other countries around me, I was still pretty naïve. All I knew was that I felt so much better with Holy Rome than with anyone else. And when he was gone, I felt such emptiness. It made me want to change my mind. It made me want to join him, wherever he disappeared to.

"Hey, Idiota, aren't you so happy that I came to visit you. Oy, Veneziano, what's wrong? Who was picking on you this time? No one messes with my little sister and gets away with it!" I gave Romano a weak smile. He was one of the only people who knew my secret. Grandpa Rome told everyone I was a boy to discourage some of my more …indulgent relatives. This only led me to get picked on for being such a weak and girly boy. Romano had tried to protect me for a while, but we had gotten separated during all the wars. I wouldn't be able to keep up this charade much longer.

"Holy Rome left me. I don't know where he went," I sniffled.

"Oh, that potato eating bastard? Good riddance. You know he only liked you for Grandpa Rome's inheritance, right."

"Don't say that, Romano! I miss him so much," I started crying again.

"All right, just stop crying. Look I snatched a box of tomatoes from Spain's house! Would you believe he left this perfectly good box of tomatoes in the middle of nowhere? You want some?" I wiped away my tears and nodded. Romano opened the crate and offered me the first tomato. I eagerly bit down into the fruit, the juices rushing into my mouth.

"WHO DARES STEALS MY TOMATOES!" The box of tomatoes started quaking. The tomato in my hand liquefied, staining my hand and clothes. The tomatoes left in the box melted as well, seeping onto the floor. Out of the red liquid came a blood red fairy. Both Romano and I were paralyzed with fear. She turned her crimson face towards me.

"YOU ARE MARKED WITH YOUR SIN! OMATAY YATOMA XINOB, I CURSE THEE!," she screamed and disappeared.

I quivered even with Romano's arms wrapped around me. He kept on murmuring to me, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I swear I'll kill that Spaniard for tricking me. You're alright. You'll be fine." That's how Austria found us.

"Italy, I heard a racket… well look at the mess you made. Hungary take care of Italy while I clean up." Hungary started carrying me to the bathroom.

"Wait, let me…let me take care of my brother." Romano attempted to get up. Even through all that he was desperate to protect my secret. He couldn't even stand properly. But that was better off than me. I still couldn't seem to find my voice.

"I don't know what happened, but you two seem pretty shaken up. Don't worry; I can handle this much at least," Hungary said, trying to comfort me.

Hungary stripped me of my clothes and sunk me into the warm water. The friendly bubbles embraced and caressed my body.

"Can you handle things from here? I think Austria will need assistance cleaning up." Hungary looked at me, but I didn't respond. Convinced I wasn't going to drown without her assistance, she exited the bathroom to help Mr. Austria clean the tomato stains.

I sat there numb for a while. The shock still settling. The fear wondering what exactly the fairy had cursed me with. I finally remembered that something should have happened. Hungary should have discovered my secret. I would have expected her to be a bit more surprised. The bubbles abandoned me, and I peered at the pink water.

I let out a scream. Hungary came rushing into the bathroom door.

"Is everything all right?" she asked frantic. I attempted to cover myself. The bubbles could no longer hide me. A slight blush colored her face.

"Everything is f-f-fine," I stammered, "I was…just letting out some frustration. You can go."

"Alright, I'll give you some privacy." She closed the door behind her.

Through the door I could hear Romano.

"Let me be with Veneziano! I'm fine now! Let me through!" he insisted. His voice sounded hoarse.

"Alright, maybe you brothers can calm yourselves down," Hungary told him and let him through the door.

"Broth…?" Romano started, realizing before I did what Hungary should have known. He stared wide-eyed at me, concentrating at the foreign thing between my legs.

I gave a weak smile. "I guess I really am your brother now."


	2. Freedom and Spells

Austria excused me for the day from doing chores because Romano came to visit. I hardly think I would be able to do anything anyway. We sat, staring at the accursed box. Romano whispered profanities to it. Hungary had told me that he had shouted at it until he lost his voice while I was taking my bath. Our hands stayed clasped for many hours. We could somehow share our fear and confusion this way. I secretly hoped that this was the extent of the curse.

"You know…I don't think it will be so bad being a boy," I said after a while. Romano gave me a sad look.

"I won't have to pretend anymore. And someday, I'll be able to leave this house. Who knows, I might even be strong enough to protect myself."

"Promise me something, Veneziano. If you ever get caught up in a fight, I want you to surrender right away. I don't want to see you get hurt."

I nodded and kissed my brother on the cheek. He looked a bit more relieved.

"Romano! Austria called me. I came to pick you up." When Spain entered the room, he threw himself against the wall. His eyes were fixed on his tomato box. Why did Spain seem so scared of it? "Romano! Where…How…Why do you have that…thing? It didn't hurt you did it?"

Romano was angry. He always glared at other people, but this was the angriest I had ever seen him. "No, you bastard, it got my brother! Why the hell do you have that thing anyway?"

"That box was made from the ruins of one of the ships England sank. Every year it demands the best tomatoes of the harvest or else it will give me a horrible. What happened to Veneziano? Is he alright? He isn't...I mean he hasn't..." Spain confessed. The grown man looked quite helpless under Romano's rage.

"That's none of your damn business! I hate you so much right now!"

"Lo siento, Romano. Lo siento, Veneziano. Let's go home Romano, you've had a long day." Spain begged.

"If you think I'm coming home with you, you've got another thing coming. I'm leaving you for good. Veneziano, you're coming with me." Spain looked heartbroken. It was as if Romano's words had physically stabbed him through the chest.

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm far too weak. I'd be too troublesome for you."

Romano seemed to nod in understanding. "I'll figure out a way to protect you. You just wait, Veneziano!" With that, Romano left. Spain remained frozen for a moment. he then staggered up and trailed Romano with his desperate pleas, begging him not to leave him. I was left alone again, staring at the box.

* * *

Years passed and nobody had come to get me. Not Romano. Not Holy Rome. Not that I wanted Holy Rome to see me like this. I looked the same as I always did, but I knew he wouldn't accept me if I was a boy. I still wore Hungary's old dresses, but I finally learned how to accept myself as a boy. One day, I was singing to myself while doing the chores and my voice dropped.

"Hungary, I finally sound like a boy!" I exclaimed. That would mean I was a man now. Maybe I was strong enough to protect and live for myself. I missed my fratello.

"That's so wonderful! You're a man now! I'm so proud of you!" Hungary clasped my hands, genuinely happy for me. She had been so kind to me all these years.

"Wait, you were a guy?" Austria heard our wash apparent on his face.

"Mmmhmm, and he's a man now to," Hungary added cheerfully.

"Well, I don't see why you stay here, then. Hurry-up and leave. You're a man now aren't you? Oh, and stop wearing those ridiculous dresses," he said trying to recompose himself.

"Mister Austria, you don't have to be so mean," Hungary said. I didn't mind though. I knew that was just Austria's way of saying goodbye and wishing me well. I rushed over to him and brought my lips on the cheek as a traditional Italian departure gift.

"Thank you for everything," I said, and I ran out of the room. From the corner of my eye, I could see a blush on the cheek where I kissed.

The first thing I did as a free man was get myself new clothes. The little dresses I had worn no longer fit me. I was no longer a girl anyway. I had no need for dresses anymore. I knew Romano would want me at home, but I had some questions to be answered.

I ended up in front of my big brother France's house. When I was a bambina, he was the one I had been warned to worry about the most. I thought I would be all right now. He wouldn't be much of a threat to me if I was a man, right?

"Quelle surprise! Hello my little colony…er, I mean my little Italy. To what do I owe this pleasure?" He leaned against the doorframe and looked down to me. Compared to him, I must still seem so weak. It would probably take nothing for him to take advantage of me.

"I wanted some advice…about love," I said hesitantly.

"Ah, l'amour. You've certainly come to the right place. Did some little tart catch your eye?" He winked at me and lead me into his house. He invited me to sit beside him on his couch. I sat some distance away, but he seemed to inch closer to me.

"Er...Not yet. A long time ago, someone told me they loved me, but I haven't seen them since. Does love have a time limit? Could that person have fallen out of love with me, and that's the reason they haven't returned?"

"Love is eternal. If they were truthful, I'm sure they still love you. But until they show up again, you can always fool around with someone else." His fingers trailed up my shoulder. I didn't like the way this made me feel. It was like he was practically stripping me with his eyes.

"Uh, thanks for the advice. See you later!" I rushed out.

"Drop by anytime, and Big Brother can teach you even more," he called after me as I left his house. On the side, there was a curious person staring through France's window. When he noticed me, he was startled.

"I definitely was spying. Why would I spy on that old frog? I had dropped something. Oh, there's my key. See, found out. By the way, that's a nasty spell you've got on you. You probably don't believe me," he rambled as he tried to get away without being noticed by anyone else.

"You can see it? Are you England? Could you tell me more about the spell?" I interjected.

He looked me over closely, gaging my seriousness I suppose. "You're Italy, I presume. Why should I help you?" he concluded.

"If you don't…I'll tell big brother France you were spying on him!" The threat was rather pathetic, I didn't have much else, but it seemed to do the trick.

"Shhh, not so loud! Fine I'll tell you something, but you'll have to break the spell on your own. Do you know what kind of creature cast the spell?" he said frantically.

"It was a fairy, in a tomato box!"

"Fairy, huh? Figures. Those can be some nasty buggers. And a tomato one at that. Those usually have some pretty nasty attitudes. Not only do they cast their spells, but they take stuff from you, too."

"Take stuff? But I haven't lost anything." I really didn't have much to begin with.

"Better find out quick, or you might not be able to get it back. You should try asking the fairy yourself, if she doesn't hate you too much of course."

"Oh no! I better go find her! Grazi Mr. England!" With that I ran off.

"Just don't tell France, or I'll give you something worse!" he called after me.

"Don't tell me what?" France must have gotten to his doorway again once he heard the commotion.

"Oh, nothing, just that he prefers my cooking to a frogs any day," England jabbed, quickly making up an excuse.

"You are a terrible liar black sheep of Europe!" I left before I could hear anymore of their spat.

I had to see if Romano was okay. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him, too.

"Is that you Veneziano?" Romano said as he opened the door to the house we shared.

"Romano!" I exclaimed as I kissed him on both cheeks. "I missed you so much!"

"So you finally left the music-loving bastard's house. 'Bout time. What took you so long?" He kissed on my cheeks in return. I knew that he was more excited about my arrival than he let on.

"I went to go visit France's house, and then…"

"You went to France's house!" Romano interrupted. "Are you an idiot? That pervert didn't try anything on you, did he?" he scolded me. He was still the same older brother.

"No, but why would he? I'm a boy now. A true one."

"That doesn't matter to him. Boy or girl, he'll go after anyone," he muttered and frowned. Romano didn't like to tell me about his past interactions with France. All I knew was that they weren't pleasant.

There was a long silence. "I hate seeing you like this. As a boy. I know it's easier on you if you were one, but you're still my sorrelina, my little sister," he admitted.

"I ran into England as well. He told me the fairy might have taken something from me. I was so worried that she had taken you from me. He said if I asked her I could find out what she took. I wonder how I can find her."

"I think I know where to start," Romano added gravely. He gestured to something he had hidden behind the door. "This arrived shortly before you did." What he pointed stopped me in my tracks. It was the tomato box.


	3. Panic and Discovery

"Miss really scary fairy? Could you please come out? I want to ask you something." I got no response. It was an empty box. " I think you took something of mine. Could you tell me what you took?"

"I don't think she's coming out. If that bitch knows what's good for her, she's long gone now. Let's just put it somewhere far away. It makes me sick just looking at it."

* * *

With the box gone, I practically forgot about it. Years passed, and I tried to live as normally as possible. Being an Italian I had a certain image to uphold. I ate pasta whenever I wanted. I flirted with every cute girl I saw. None of them really interested me. Each one reminded me of him. He had been gone for so long now, and no one knew where he went.

Before long, there was talk of a Great War. A war to end all wars. The war was drawing closer to us. I could hear the enemy footsteps. Romano tried to give me a gun to protect myself, but I couldn't stop shaking.

"Ugh, you're hopeless," he said exasperated. he didn't really seem surprised or angry, though. I must still seem so weak. A gunshot was fired to close for comfort. Romano took away the gun and handed me a white flag.

"Go! Run as far away as possible! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

I didn't want to leave my brother, but if I didn't, I knew he would be mad at me. I could run pretty fast, and I took pride in that. But the enemy was fast, too. I could here them close behind me. I needed a place to hide.

This place seemed oddly familiar and I quickly found out why. This was the place we had stashed the box. I ignored the terror the box gave me and hopped into it and closed the lid.

I listened very closely for the enemy that was searching for me. All I could hear was my labored breathing.

"Well if it isn't the soiled brat who ate my precious offering," a voice said in my ear. "You have some guts forcing your way into my home."

I could barely remember the voice. The last time I had heard it, it was screaming at me. Yet, the voice still had the power to shock me into a breathless terror.

"Are…Are you the tomato box fairy?" I asked timidly.

"You were much cuter as a girl, you know." The voice drifted to in front of me. "And that poor boy. It's too bad about him. He didn't even do anything wrong. It's all your fault."

"What are you talking about? Who are you talking about? What else did you take from me?" I dreaded the answer I knew was coming.

"The boy you knew as the Holy Roman Empire no longer exists. I took away the person you loved the most," she sneered.

"How could you?" I screamed in the softest voice I could manage. I snatched her little body from the air. My unnatural rage only lasted for a few seconds. My hands no longer had the strength to hold onto her. "How could you kill him?" All those years I waited for him to return.

"I can't kill anybody. I have my limitations, you know. I simply erased all of his memories. He no longer knows you exist. Hell, he doesn't even know who he is."

Even though I knew I should still be traumatized by her words, I couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Holy Rome hadn't forgotten me by choice. I could still see him again.

The sound of footsteps broke my reverie. They stopped just a few feet in front to the box.

"I'd be quiet if you don't want to be killed," the fairy advised, whispering in my ear.

I panicked. "Oh, there's nothing at all strange here. I'm just an ordinary box of tomatoes. I'm definitely not the person you're looking for."

The person stepped closer.

"Are you an idiot? Do you want to be killed? Fine, be my guest. You were so not worth the magic. Later." The fairy disappeared.

"I wouldn't get any closer. I'm actually a really mean tomato box fairy. If you open that lid, I'll curse you and ruin your life forever. Don't do it!"

The pursuer didn't listen. The lid was lifted above me. I closed my eyes and popped up waving my brother's white flag.

"Okay, I might have lied. I'm not really a fairy and there's no longer any tomatoes in here. I'm sorry! Please don't kill me! I'm still a virgin." Sometimes I'm simply amazed of the utter nonsense I spout out when I'm nervous.

"C…Could you possibly be a descendent of the Roman Empire?" my attacker asked incredulously.

"Oh, I sure am. Do you know Grandpa Rome? My name is Veneziano Italia. People call me Italy!" I opened my eyes. The man in front of me was a very tall muscular man with blonde hair and stern blue eyes. The same eyes Holy Rome had when he scolded me for showing too much skin. I thought I was dreaming. After all this time, Holy Rome was standing in front of me. No, the Holy Rome I knew didn't exist anymore. This person was all that was left of the boy I knew.

"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Deutschland. People call me Germany," he said politely to me. He seemed rather confused of what was going on.

"He's my target? How could this idiot possibly be one of his descendents?" He muttered to himself. I gave a tentative smile. I wondered if he felt something way deep inside when he sees me.

"I could be underestimating him," he continued. "His blood must be more cunning than I thought. He must be trying to lull me into a false sense of security. I might as well take him in."

"You're not going to kill me? Take me away!" I encouraged. I may not be free any longer, but I at least will be with this Holy Rome. I offered my hands out for him to take. His hand reached towards me and smacked me upside the head. The next thing I remember, I blacked out into his strong arms.


	4. Pasta and Efficiency

I woke up in a different house. There wasn't much there, but it was really clean and organized. It was even cleaner than Austria's house. I sat up from the couch I was laying on. Holy Rome was sitting on a chair not far from me. No, this was Germany now.

"Ve …Where am I?" I asked.

"You're in my house," he said. "I must have hit you a lot harder than I thought. You've been asleep for about 17 hours, 13 minutes, and 9 seconds. You're probably hungry. I left some food for you over there."

On the little table beside the couch I was on, there was a plate with a food I had never seen before. I picked it up and examined it closely.

"That's wurst, we eat it a lot in my country. It's sehr gut."

I took a tentative bite. "It's not completely horrible!" I said joyfully and ate the rest. I had definitely had worse.

"Ah, thanks…I guess. You'll be staying here for a while so you might as well get used to…"

"I'm still hungry, Can I make some pasta?'

Germany sighed. "I really don't want people messing around in my kitchen."

"Don't worry! I'll be super careful!" I skipped into his kitchen.

"I don't want to have to clean up your mess!" he called after me.

There wasn't much in there. Thank goodness I usually had emergency pasta supplies on me. I found some pots and pans and brought the water to a boil. I was working on the marinara sauce when I heard a voice behind me.

"Did you listen to me? I said I didn't want a mess." Germany's arm suddenly appeared beside me. In his hand was a cloth and he was wiping off a single drop of marinara sauce that had gotten on the counter.

"Grazie!" I said cheerfully. He was so thoughtful. I would have gotten it later of course. He must be getting impatient. "Everything will be done in just a bit."

Germany followed my every move as I finished making the pasta. When I finished, I divided everything into two plates and offered one to him. He looked genuinely surprised.

"For you! It's a thank you gift for letting me stay here!"

He accepted, looking at me strangely. "I don't think you quite understand your situation. You do realize you're my prisoner, ja?" He took a bite of the pasta. His eyes lit up, "This is surprisingly very good."

I couldn't help but smile really widely. "Grazie!" I said. I finished the pasta quickly and returned to the kitchen. I wanted to the place as clean as possible. I started by washing the dishes.

"Let me handle those. If you want to do something, you can wipe the counter tops," Germany said as he stepped into the kitchen, carrying his own dirty dishes. I stepped back and watched him work. He rolled back his sleeves and stuck his arms into the bubbly water. He meticulously scrubbed every spot.

I threw myself into the task of cleaning the counters. I hummed to myself as my arm swept over the surface. I may have been a prisoner, but I didn't mind. Being here with Germany was oddly the happiest I felt for a long time. I selfishly wished I could stay like this.

"You really are hopeless, aren't you?" Germany's chest touched my back as his arms reached around me to get to the counter. With the same intensity as the plates, Germany retouched every spot I had cleaned. It wasn't long before the surface shined and reflected our images back. Germany's face was right next to mine.

"Hey," I teased. "You missed a spot."

"Where?' he said, leaning closer to get a better look. His chin was basically on my shoulder. I turned so we were facing each other. A bit of sauce was still on his face. I wiped it off, a playful smile filling my face.

My sudden movement surprised him. For just a moment, I thought his stern eyes relaxed for a bit. "You should be more concerned about yourself." He proceeded to move his hands from the countertop to my face. He scrubbed it; it kinda hurt, but I didn't mind. His hands were rough, but they were warm. My heart started to beat faster. "You're a grown man and still such a sloppy eater," he said.

"Herr Germany! I bring an urgent message from the boss!" a soldier interrupted. He was out of breath and standing at Germany's door. Germany left me and approached him.

"The Great War has ended. We have surrendered. Here are the prerequisites as entailed by the Treaty of Versailles," he continued.

"We lost, huh? At least it is finally over." Germany accepted the letter the soldier handed him. He read it over quickly. Anger tainted his face.

"They expect me to pay how much?" he yelled. I winced at the sudden rage in his words. "What kind of Schieße are those idiots trying to pull? Couldn't they be a bit more reasonable? Dumb question. This is France and England we're talking about."

"If you don't need me sir, I'll take my leave," the soldier announced.

"You're dismissed" The soldier marched out of the house and closed the door. Germany sighed and sat in his chair. He rubbed his temples. I went towards him, not quite sure what I was supposed to do.

When he saw me, he turned towards me. "Oh right, the war is over. You are released." I stood there. "You are no longer my prisoner. Go home already!" he snapped. Scared by his anger, I ran out of the house. I felt a weird concern for him. He was all alone in that house. I looked back to my former prison and made my way back home to my brother.

* * *

"So, you're telling me that that violent, potato-eating bastard is Holy Rome?"

"You wouldn't believe it, Romano! He looks just like him only a lot meaner looking! He has this really big, really clean house, and it's only him there!"

"Why are you so excited? That bastard not only ditched you with the piano bastard, but he didn't even bother to visit you. He's some good-for-nothing merda, if you ask me."

"That wasn't his fault. When I was hiding in the box, the tomato box fairy told me that she had taken all of his memories. That's why he never came back for me!"

Romano paled. "That bitch better not have cursed you again."

"No, I think she's gone for good now."

"In any case, I think you should stay away from the Germanic bastard."

"Oh, but Romano, I had a lot of fun when I was over there. He let me make pasta! I was really happy!"

"I don't care if he started shitting rainbows and barfed sunshine! He's a bad idea, and I don't want my little sister being with him!"

I reluctantly agreed. Hard times were upon us and Romano would leave for days at a time working to get us food. He was gone for two whole days and I was all alone. I didn't want to be lonely anymore. I kept of thinking of Germany. Was he as lonely as I was? The next thing I knew I was in front of his house. I knocked a few times, but no one answered. I let myself in.

* * *

The house was filled with all sorts of clocks. Germany was sitting on his chair, gears surrounding him. His big hands were trying to fit through a tiny hole on the face of the clock. He was concentrating so much; he didn't notice me until I was right beside him.

"I looks so complicated, but they look so cute," I commented.

"Oh, you again? These are the cuckoo clocks I have to make for France. I've done all this work, and I'm not even halfway done. If I see that man again, I'm going to wring his…Anyway you should go home. I'm not really in the mood to try to entertain you."

"Hey, I can help. I was just looking for something to do! Come on! We could be partners!" I said enthusiastically.

He looked at me and then continued his work. "Fine, you can do some of the basic stuff over there. Leave the gear work to me."

"Yay!" I pulled up a chair and started to work right beside him. I was so happy; I even started to sing to myself. If Germany minded, he sure didn't say so.

Time passed quickly, and before long, it was dark outside. Germany leaned back from his work, rubbing his eyes.

"It's getting pretty late. You should go home."

"That was really fun, but I am a bit tired. Let's do this again!" Germany didn't respond. His eyes were closed. When he was like that, he looked a lot less scary.

"Hey, Germany! We work pretty well together don't we?"

"We were efficient.'

"Ve! I think we should be allies!" That made the German open his eyes. "You could help me when I'm in a pinch, and I would try to help you! We could be the best of friends! What do you say?" I held out my hand to him.

"I never had a friend before…" he said mostly to himself. After a moment of hesitation, he shook my hand. His hand was a lot bigger than mine. My hand was completely surrounded by his. It felt really safe.

"All right. Let's form an alliance. Come back tomorrow and we can sort out all the details."


	5. Alliance and Training

The next day, Germany had made a long contract. I politely pretended to know what it was talking about and signed my name on the dotted line. Whenever Romano was away, which was most of the time, I went to Germany's house. We mostly worked on the cuckoo clocks. We talked a lot and got to know each other a bit better. I told him about Romano. I learned about Germany's older brother, Prussia. Prussia wasn't home very often. Germany said Prussia was off trying to get his "awesome girlfriend" back.

"Germany, I'm back!" I said as I walked into his house. I ran straight for him and kissed him on both cheeks. Once we made an alliance, this was a regular thing for us. "Are we going to be working on more cuckoo clocks today?

"Nein, I want to introduce you to someone. He joined in our alliance today." I looked around and noticed there was another person in the house. I ran over to the short man with straight black hair and white uniform and kissed him on both cheeks as a greeting.

"Ah, benvenuto my new friend! What's your name?"

The new ally began to shake. His face became redder in an almost comical way.

"You…My first…kiss…Boys shouldn't do that!" he stuttered out.

Was what I did wrong? Were boys not supposed to kiss other boys on the cheek? I always did this with Romano and Germany. Did Germany think of me as strange as this guy did?

"Relax, in Italy's culture, this is a perfectly normal greeting he doesn't mean anything by it, however strange it may be." Germany said, trying to make the trembling man calm down. His face finally resumed its normal color.

"Please refrain from doing that again. My name is Japan. I'm the newest addition to the Axis powers. Please take care of me." Japan gave a polite bow.

"So what are we going to do today, Germany? Is Japan going to help us make clocks?"

"No, today is going to be the first day of camp."

"Oooh, that sounds like fun! But, if we stop making clocks, won't the Allies get mad at you?"

"Italy, since you're my ally, I'll be honest with you. Very soon there's going to be another war. I'm starting you on this training camp. This will be your one and only time to break the alliance. There will be no backing out half way. Are you going to be part of this?"

Romano had told me to avoid all forms of fighting. And I would have to fight against big brother France.

"I want to be with Germany!" I replied enthusiastically. I was happy to see Germany smile and chuckle to himself. I was concerned by Japan; he was starting to tremble again. Had I done something weird again?

* * *

Training camp was not as fun as it sounded. I had to wake up every early every morning and go for really long runs. Germany was always mad at me because I ran so slowly. Not to mention he always asked these really hard questions, and I always somehow got the answers wrong.

"Italy, what do you do if you are approached by the enemy and you have no weapon?"

I knew this one. Romano had drilled this to me almost everyday.

"I'll run really far away, and if they catch me, I'll wave my white flag around really fast and tell them 'I surrender!'"

"That's wrong! Japan! What is your answer?"

"Hai! If America, I say 'Look a pile of hamburgers!' While he's distracted, I'll use my heritage as a ninja to blend into the shadows. If I get caught, my pride as great nation is ruined. I commit seppuku on the spot."

"Those are Scheiße answers. Where is your pride as countries? Where is your pride as men?"

As punishment, Germany had us run extra laps. I ran a bit faster this time, so I could eat lunch. Germany was waiting for me when I finished.

"It's amazing. You sure do run a lot faster when your lunch is on the line." I smiled. Germany had called me amazing. This was the first time he had praised me. Lunch was a combination of Germany's mashed potatoes, my spaghetti, and Japan's onigiri. Germany had thought the combination was strange. I just thought everything was delicious. Japan sensed the mood and restrained from speaking.

Since I had broken my record. Germany let us have a little break. He locked himself in his office. He always worked so hard, even on his break from training us. He was making preparations for the start of the war. He was going to start invading other countries soon. It was such a beautiful day outside, so I went outside. I was thinking of taking a little nap, but then a cute kitty came beside me. I took out my notepad and started sketching it.

"That's really good! I've always really admired your art work." Japan had come up from behind me. He was looking down at my drawing of the cat.

"Grazie! Would you like to see some?"

"It would impolite of me to refuse…"

I flipped through my sketchbook. I showed him the picture of Germany sleeping over a pile of paperwork, Germany washing the dishes, Germany making a clock, various pictures of Germany's facial expressions, Romano eating a tomato, and a delicious looking plate of pasta.

"You must really like Germany to draw him so frequently." Japan commented.

"Mmmhmm," I agreed. " I really like you too. I could draw you if you want."

"No thank you. That would make me feel a bit awkward. Who is that? Is that Germany as well?" Japan pointed to the picture I had drawn from my memory.

"No, that is a drawing of a friend I really miss. His name was the Holy Roman Empire. He no longer exists," I said sadly. No matter how much Germany was like him, I knew I would never get my old love back.

"I am sorry for bringing up such a sad memory. Please let me pay for it with my life." Japan began to draw out his katana.

"Oh please don't do that! I'm fine!"

"All right! Break time is over! It's time for weapons practice!" Germany called out. I quickly put my sketchbook away and pranced over to Germany's side.

* * *

"Japan is already proficient with his katana, so this section is mostly for Italy," Germany said.

"Thank you for the compliment. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave," Japan said simply.

"You may go, Japan." With that, Japan disappeared.

"You're not very strong, so we'll focus on things that don't require a lot of physical strength." Germany put a gun in my hands. I started trembling.

"Try to shoot one of the targets over there." On the other side of the field, there were targets in the shape of people. I tried to aim properly, but I couldn't stop shaking. I fired six shots. None of them hit the target.

Germany sighed. He loaded another round into the gun and handed it back to me. "Try again," he said simply.

I extended my arms to aim again, but my body shook even more violently.

"You really are hopeless." Germany put his hands on top of mine, his arms and chest supporting my body. My shaking stopped as well as my breathing. His closeness calmed me. My heartbeat aligned with his, which I could feel through my back. He gently pressed his finger over mine, firing six shots into the target. Three to the heart. Three to the head.

He moved away from me and I collapsed. Tears started silently flowing from my eyes. If that had been a real person he would be dead. I could have killed some one.

"Men shouldn't cry," Germany said brusquely. "At least now we know that you're no good with direct killing. We'll move on to something else."

"You won't make me do that again?" I said, my voice shaking.

"No," he said simply. A strange kindness was concealed in his voice, and I felt comforted. I would be okay. I wiped away the tears and painted a smile on my face and got up.

"We'll try grenades next. If you throw it far enough, you won't even be able to see your targets." Germany opened a case and took out a grenade. "These are real so you have to be really careful," he warned. "You take out the pin, and throw the grenade as far as you can." Germany demonstrated. He took out the pin in his mouth and threw the grenade far over a hill. A few seconds later, a loud explosion filled the air. "See simple. Why don't you try?" He handed me a grenade.

I took a deep breath. I needed to concentrate. All I had to think about was throwing it as far away as possible. I closed my eyes and went through the motions.

"Good Italy! That went pretty far! I'm glad we could…ITALY NO!" Germany yelled suddenly.

I took the object out of my mouth. "Did I do something wrong?"

"THROW IT! GET IT AWAY! QUICKLY!" He started running toward me.

I looked at the object in my hand. Horror struck me. I had thrown the pin. The grenade was still in my hand. It was only a matter of time until it exploded. Would I be able to get it far enough away? I threw it as hard as I could, like Germany told me to. Germany tackled me and pushed me to the ground, his body completely covering mine. I closed my eyes. The grenade exploded in the air far too close to us. My ears were ringing.

"_ight? _ly can you hear me?"

I slowly opened my eyes. Germany's face was right over mine. I nodded.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt any where?"

"No," I said. The ringing had finally stopped, and I could hear properly.

"Thank goodness," Germany said, obviously relieved. He looked more tired than I had ever seen him before. I crawled out form under him and stood up. "You got it backwards, but with a bit more practice, I'm sure we can work it out."

"Germany, your back!" I exclaimed. His clothes had been burnt through and the explosion had seared his skin.

"Oh it's nothing really. Don't worry about it." Germany winced as he got up. "I'm fine. I've had much worse."

"You're not fine! You need first aid!"

"I sent all my medical supplies to the troops already. I'll be fine without it. Just lead me back to my house, okay?'

"You can't deal with this by yourself! I'll take you to my house. I think we have some stuff there." I lifted his arm over my shoulders and supported his weight. He was heavy. He barely had the strength to walk, even with my help. We slowly made our way to the house Italia.


	6. Argument and Imprisonment

I managed to drag Germany to the middle of my house. I set him face down on the couch in our living room.

"Sorry for intruding on you like this," Germany said.

"It's no trouble, really. I'm sorry about the mess," I said, embarrassed by the state of the house. Germany must be appalled. I hadn't been home very often to clean, and Romano couldn't clean to save his life. There were dirty plates all over the placed that had at one point held a tomato based food.

I found the first aid kit in the closet. I began the treatment by cutting off Germany's shirt. His back wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but it still made me squirm. I gently washed off his wounds with a wet cloth. I could feel his back muscles flinch when I touched the sores. There was burn ointment in the kit, and I applied it to his back.

"You can sit up now," I told Germany. He helped wrap the bandages a round himself. I secured the bandage at the back. I put my hands over the wrapped wound and closed my eyes. Germany had saved my life. He had protected me from the grenade. He got hurt because of me. Of course, I would have done the same, if our situation were reversed. Could he possibly, like me in the way I liked him? Impossible.

"What are you doing back there?" Germany twisted trying to see behind his back.

I opened my eyes. His back was a lot closer than I remembered. My lips were touching the part of his back slightly above the bandage. I jumped back, surprised by my own actions.

"Ve! No treatment would be complete without a kiss! It makes it heal faster!" I spit out, hopeful he wouldn't pick out my rushed lie.

A rare smile appeared on Germany's face. "You Italians and your kissing. I'm beginning to think you kiss people more than even France. I'll probably never get used to it." I let out my breath. I had messed up again. If Germany discovered how I really felt about him, he'd make me go away.

"Hey, Veneziano! I'm home! You better have done anything stupid while I was … WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!" Romano had come home. He saw the first aid kit had been taken out. "You potato eating bastard! If my little sis-brother is hurt anywhere…"

"I'm not hurt. I'm perfectly fine. Welcome home, fratello!" I got up and kissed my brother on his cheeks. Romano didn't kiss back.

Romano saw the bandages on Germany's back. "I'm glad to see him injured, but what in the fucking world happened?"

"There was an accident with a grenade. Italy brought me here to apply first aid. I see I've overstayed my welcome; I'll be out of your fair in a bit." Germany had obviously missed my frantically waving hands. I hadn't yet found the chance to tell Romano just what sort of camp I was going to.

"Grenades? What the hell kind of camping is this?"

"We're training for battle. I was teaching Italy how to use a hand grenade, and he…"

"Why the fuck would Veneziano need training for battle? He shouldn't be going anywhere near a battlefield. It's your entire fault that he's gotten dragged into your stupid fucking war. As soon as fighting starts, Veneziano is going to surrender and back out of the alliance, aren't you?" Romano said turning towards me.

"Why are you so opposed? Italy's a grown man. He doesn't need his brother making decisions for him his whole life. Do you really want Veneziano to be weak and pathetic his whole life?"

"Why you ignorant bastard! Veneziano has spent too much time suffering because of all your crapolla! I hate your guts! I can't understand why he still lo-"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted. Both Romano and Germany turned towards me, surprised by outburst. Romano had said too much. I couldn't listen to this anymore. I calmed down, my sudden rage reverting.

"I intend to fight on Germany's side. I know I'm not very strong, but I'll do my best. I have a promise to keep. I won't get hurt, Romano. Germany will protect me like he did today."

Romano searched for some sort of come back, but he couldn't disagree with his little sister like this.

"CHIGI! Do what you want with your own damn life." He stomped off to his room, slamming the door.

* * *

"Italy, you need to pay attention."

I was really cold. I rubbed my gloved hands together. What I wouldn't give for a nice warm bowl of pasta. Winter was already here. The war had been going on for a while now. Germany and I were stationed out in the snow. Germany placed a single grenade in my hand.

"Take this. You remember how to use it, right? I have to go fight France and Russia. I don't know who else might be out there. When you use it, I'll come running to get you, got it?" I nodded. The grenade felt heave in my hands.

"It's cold," I said out loud. It didn't matter. Germany was already gone. I held myself together. I was a single blue dot in a white field.

"Germany…" I cried. My tears started to freeze to my face. My cheeks were stinging. When would he come back? I heard the crunch of footsteps.

"Germany?" There was no response.

I got slightly warmer as my heart beat faster. There was someone else out there. Germany had told me to use the grenade. The steps got closer and closer, faster and faster. Could I really do it? If I threw the grenade, I would be safe. I would be safe, and the enemy would be dead. I didn't want to hurt anybody. But…but…

What other choice did I have? Could they see me frantically waving my white flag through all the snow?

* * *

"I must say I'm surprised to see you again." England looked at me through the bars in my jail cell. Cold concrete walls surrounded me. I could see the fog of my breath.

"I never expected you of all people to be fighting, and even against France. Still, I never guessed I would be fighting alongside him either. You were captured easily enough, so you make my job eaiser." He sighed. "You've still got that nasty spell on you I see. Why haven't you broken it yet?"

"I don't know how to break spells." I said simply.

"Really? You never heard any fairytales when you were younger? That's a shame. They have good pointers for breaking all kinds of spells. I read them to America all the time. Speak of the devil…"

"Man, I didn't want to get caught up in another one of these European wars." America was holing his left arm. His jacket was cut, and blood was dripping off his hand.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" England said. He got up and started attending to America.

"Can you believe the hero actually got attacked? That guy, Japan or what's his name sliced me with his katana sword thingy. He ruined my favorite jacket."

Just another person I had let down. I let down the axis powers by surrendering. Yes, I was safe, but I felt so horrible. Germany and Japan were fighting so hard, and I just gave them more trouble. I hugged myself, trying to keep me together.

"I had to fly all the way to Russia with my arm like this," America complained. "Anyway, have you gotten anything out of him yet?"

"He doesn't seem to know much about the Axis powers plan, just that Germany was planning to fight both Russia and France. Don't know why he'd even plan attacking Russia in the winter…Oh, I forgot, you must be getting pretty hungry. I made this for you to eat.'

I wouldn't call what England gave me food. It was hard, black and smelled terrible. I couldn't live like this.

"Iggy, we already know he doesn't know much, you don't need to torture him."

"Shut up! That was my best batch yet! He'll love my scones!"

I worked up all my courage. Luckily, they hadn't bound my hands. I took Germany's present out.

"Stay back!" I warned.

"Holy shit, he's got a grenade!" America panicked. He stood straight up.

"He wouldn't dare use it in here! That'd be crazy! Just give the grenade to me, Italy," England tried to calm me. He approached the bars. I pulled the pin out with my teeth, properly this time.

"England, we've got to run!" America dragged England out of the room.

I threw the grenade into the back corner and crouched as far away as possible. I had no Germany to protect me this time. The explosion seared my leg and bits of concrete hit my shoulder and head. Warm liquid began to stream down my face. I looked to where I threw the grenade. I was greeted by blinding white and harsh cold wind. I had broken through to the outside. I lifted my self up with my good leg and ran out to the Russian tundra.

* * *

The pain was excruciating. My pants were ripped, but the cold felt nice on my burnt leg. I pushed myself to keep running. My ears were ringing. I needed to make it somewhere safe.

I saw a figure in the distance. I had no way to deal with another enemy. I turned and started running in a different direction. I had to go as fast as I could.

"Italy!" called the voice.

I knew the voice by heart. I ran towards the figure.

"Germany!" I cried. I jumped on him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. "You're safe. I'm…I'm so happy to see you. I'm so sorry."

"I saw the explosion. What happened? You're really hurt." He worriedly looked over what he could see of my body. "We need to get out of here and take care of those wounds."

"I thought I was going to die! England captured and tried to feed me his food. It was so disgusting, so I used the grenade like you taught me and escaped."

"Ha! That's just like you, Italy. I admire your bravery. Um...Could you move to my back, so I can carry you easier?"

"Okay." I twisted around Germany, never truly letting him go. I didn't want to ever let go. I didn't want to lose him again. Germany carried me all the way back to his house, calling off his entire invasion.


	7. Fairytale and Dream

"Germany, I'm so cold."

"Hold on, Italy! We're almost there."

I hadn't felt my fingers and toes for a long time. I buried my nose into Germany's neck. I wouldn't be able to hold on to Germany for much longer. I didn't want to let go yet. Germany was fast, but he wasn't quick enough with me on his back. I could tell the cold was getting to him, too.

We made it to Germany's house. He set me down just inside the entrance. My legs gave out and I fell down.

"Wait here." Germany went further inside and started the fireplace. He went to the closet and brought down blankets and an army supply first aid which he laid out in front of the fire. . He picked me up in his arms and gently placed me back down on the blankets.

"Looks like it's my turn to fix you up." Germany treated me quickly and effectively. He bandaged me up much more neatly than I had for him.

"Romano would probably kill me if he saw you like that. Burns on you legs, frost nip on your fingers, and countless other cuts and bruises all over your body."

I was still so cold. It didn't help that I was in nothing, but my underwear. I tried to huddle myself up, but everywhere I touched hurt.

Germany sighed, "There's just no helping it then." He took off his shirt and slid down his pants. "If we're both like this, we should warm up faster. We should try to get some sleep." Germany pulled a blanket over the both of us "Ugh this is awkward. I'm not used to this sort of thing." Germany turned away from me. He was so close. I put my cold hands on his back.

"Don't worry, sleeping without pajamas isn't so bad! I do it al the time!" I encouraged.

"That's not what I…never mind."

A moment of silence passed between us. The fire cast strange shadows on Germany's body. His chest rose with every inhale. His breaths were steady, giving a sort of calm to the room. I wished he was facing me. How would the shadows look on his face?

"Hey, Germany? Could you tell me a story?"

Germany sighed. He rolled back over to face me. "What kind of story would you like to hear?" he said reluctantly.

"I want to hear a fairytale. One from your country!"

"A fairytale, huh. We had a few of those. I only remember one though, and it's kinda girly."

"I don't mind! Please tell it to me!"

Germany than told me about a story of a girl with snow white skin and ebony black hair. Her stepmother was jealous of her beauty and forced the girl to run away. The girl ended up hiding in a cottage with seven dwarves. The girl's stepmother couldn't find her for a long time, but when she did, she tried everything she could to try to kill her. She gave the girl poisoned combs and suffocating corsets, but the dwarves found ways to save the girl. Finally, when the dwarves were away, the stepmother gave the girl a cursed apple. The apple became caught in the girl's throat and she died. The dwarves were too late to save the girl. During the girl's funeral, a handsome prince saw her beauty and loved her for it. He kissed her, and the apple became dislodged from her throat and she awoke. She had loved the prince as well. They got married and lived happily ever after. The stepmother was forced to wear hot metal shoes and dance at the happy couples wedding.

"That was a pretty creepy story, Germany."

"Yeah, the metal shoes may have been a bit far."

"No, I mean the prince. He kissed a dead girl cause she was pretty. His tongue must have been really long to get the apple out of her throat."

"NO! ugh, his tongue was…normal. I think you just ruined my childhood! Only a special kind of kiss can break a curse like that."

There was a kiss that could break curses? I had all sorts of kisses, and my curse wasn't gone.

"Then what made this kiss so much different than a normal kiss?"

"It was True Love's Kiss. A kiss that two people share when they both love each other."

Love? I loved Germany. I had kissed him before. I'm still a boy. He must not love me liked I loved him.

"Oh, well, good night, I guess."

I turned the other way. Tears were starting to form in my eyes, and I didn't want Germany to ask any questions. I don't know why I was so upset. I knew Germany couldn't love me. I'm not a girl. I had gotten my hopes up. I had really wanted him to love me. I really wanted to be a girl. Was that too selfish of me, to want to be what I really am? I fell asleep in no time.

* * *

I couldn't get to sleep. Even when my brother was here, I hadn't ever slept with man before. Not even when I was scared. I had to deal with that sort of stuff on my own. But I was really scared now. Why was my heart beating so fast? I always felt these…strange things with Italy. He was a guy for goodness sakes. I shouldn't think of him as cute. I couldn't possibly…

Heat radiated off of Italy's back. It was far too warm. Italy's leg was sticking out over the blanket. It must have gotten to hot with the burn. I decided I wasn't needed to keep him warm any longer. I thought it was best to quietly slip out.

Italy's arm whipped around and grabbed my hand. It was a tight vice chaining me to him. This guy was holding back more than I thought.

"Don't leave me," Italy said softly.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you? It was getting a bit warm, so I was…"

"You're so muscular. Remember, you have to keep the promise you made."

The rest of Italy twisted around. He was still asleep. I almost had a heart attack. Just whom was he talking about?

"Germany, I love you soooooooooooooo much! Give me a kiss!"

I felt the blood rushing to my face. He was a guy…! I needed to calm down. Italians threw around words like these all the time.

"I'll turn into a beautiful girl, and we'll live happily ever after."

He must be having some sort of nightmare from the story I told him earlier.

"Just don't leave me. I need you."

Even in sleep, Italy's face was so sad. I decided I couldn't leave him like this, plus I didn't have much of a choice. Italy wasn't letting go. I slipped back under the blanket with Italy still in hand and undisturbed. After a moment, I too fell asleep.


	8. Pride and Loneliness

I stayed at Germany's house for a long time. I couldn't go home and risk Romano seeing me like this. My wounds were slow to heal. Germany said war was no place for the wounded.

Japan would be away days at a time, off on the other side of the world fighting America and China. Everyday Germany would leave early in morning, but would always come back to me in the evenings. I was all alone in the house. I tried to be cheerful about. As the days went on, Japan would be gone for longer and longer periods of time. Germany kept on coming back with more and more wounds. After a while, he wouldn't let me treat them. He tried to convince me he wasn't hurt, that he would keep fighting.

With each passing day, he avoided me more. He would flinch every time I touched him. He would hardly even look at me. I could hear the fighting getting closer and closer to Germany's house. The closer the fight got. The farther Germany and I became. I began to get really scared.

"Guess what Germany!" I said one morning, trying to bring cheer to my face.

"Hmm, what?" Germany said without looking up from his breakfast. He hadn't eaten any of it. He just kept on mashing the potatoes.

"My wounds are all better. I took of the last bandage this morning. That means I can fight with you today. Won't that be fun?"

"Is this some sort of game to you?" Germany yelled. He finally looked at me. His eyes were cold and angry.

"No," I said, no longer willing to keep the charade up. "But I want to help. Don't lie and say you don't need it. You need me by your side. We're allies aren't we? We're supposed to support one another."

"I don't need you. I don't need a pacifist as a soldier. It's about time you went home. I don't want you around for this." His words had angered implied, but his tone held to much sadness. "Italy," he said in a lot kinder tone. "I'm about to get in a lot of trouble, and I don't want to caught up in it. Your brother would agree; you should leave while you still can."

I was starting to get angry. "Are you to ashamed for me to watch you lose? You may be better at fighting and winning, but I am way better at you at losing." Germany didn't respond. He just stared at his potatoes.

"Please! Don't ignore me!" Tears were welling in my eyes. I couldn't see Germany anymore. "Don't make me leave! Don't make me be alone anymore! I love you!"

I had said it. Germany stopped mashing his potatoes. "You…don't mean that. Italians …Italians throw those words around all the time. They're meaningless." He said slowly, mostly to himself.

"No, that's not true! I've loved you for a long time. I've loved Germany since I first popped out of that tomato box. You don't have to say you love me. I don't expect that from you. Just please! Don't make me leave your side!"

Germany finally looked at me. Don't look at me like that Germany? Don't look at me with such sadness and regret. Don't look at me with those eyes that show no hope.

"Why me? I couldn't possibly…Men don't…Men shouldn't…Love isn't…it's not natural. Italy, it's no good. I can't be with you like this."

I fell to me knees. I'd really messed up. Germany knew I loved him and he was leaving. Germany grabbed his gun and was heading out the door.

"Germany, don't fight, don't die. I can't lose you." I couldn't seem to find my voice. The words barely made it passed my lips. The war was so close. The house was shaking from the explosions. Or was that just me?

"Goodbye Italy. Auf Wiedersehen." Germany walked out of the door and into the chaos.

I found my voice. Or rather it found me. I was no longer in control. My voice rushed out without even my care to try to stop it. I screamed until all the air was gone. I grabbed my chest. Why did my heart hurt so much? What was its use if all it would do was hurt me? I screamed until my voice strained. I wanted to scream until my throat hurt more than my heart. Warm arms wrapped around me, reigning in my sorrow.

"Be still, sorellina." I let my brothers arm's guide me away, guide me home

* * *

Germany had finally surrendered. I knew he wouldn't come to me. I knew I couldn't go back. It took a lot of time for me to recover. Honestly, I knew I wasn't truly better. My chest had been torn right through. I could never recover from that.

Romano and I worked to rebuild our country. It looked like its heart had been torn out as well. The constant rebuilding almost kept me distracted enough. Almost.

"Veneziano, look. Isn't that your friend?" Romano said. He pointed to the TV. Japan had been beaten by America. The Axis powers were officially defeated. Japan had been shot twice before he had surrendered. They replayed the footage over and over again. America had made a special weapon just to use against Japan. The deadliest one in existence. The telephone rang, and Romano answered. I couldn't be torn away. Japan wanted to see me. Before I knew it, I was headed to Tokyo. I couldn't stay away knowing Japan was hurt. It was nice to feel needed.

When I got there, I saw I wasn't alone. America was still at Japan's side.

"Dude, I'm still so sorry. I had no idea that my awesome weapon would be totally not awesome. I just wanted the war to be over quickly. I really regret making it. Now, Russia's breathing down my neck and It's really creeping me out."

"It's…my fault. I will take…full responsibility…as the loser," Japan breathed out. He strained to reach back for his katana.

"No way, man!" America snatched the sword away. "I'll hold on to this until you get better. In the mean time, I'll go get the biggest, best hamburger I can find. You'll get better in no time!" America ran out of Japan's room.

Japan turned to me. "I'm glad both of you could make it. I'm sorry it was such short notice."

Germany was directly behind me. He cleared his throat and moved as far away from mw as the room would allow. "It was nothing," he cleared his throat. "You wanted to speak to me about something?"

"I was hoping to tell you something I have learned. As your elder, I hope you will take it to heart." Japan paused for a bit. Germany nodded for him to continue.

"During the war, America and I were fighting one on one for a long time. He had allies to back him up, and at this point I was alone. I knew that the fight would last too long. When he came with his weapon, he came with a warning. He didn't want anymore hurt, and begged me to surrender. I refused, and he released a shot. I could tell the first time that I had lost, but I didn't surrender. America warned me a second time to surrender. I foolishly refused. My pride as a nation would not allow me to accept failure. And now, here I am. I am hurt, near the point of death, and I let my nation down. You see by hanging on to my pride, I ended up hurting myself more than what was necessary. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think so…If you'll excuse me, I think I'll leave. I have…issues to attend to. If you need anything else, feel free to call me."

"Germany…" I said.

He glanced at me and left the room. He looked so confused.

"Don't mind him. He has a lot to think about. Italy I called you here for a different reason. Come closer." Japan reached under his pillow and handed me something small and folded. I opened it. It was a picture of Germany and me. More specifically, it was a picture of Germany and me sleeping. Together. I blushed.

"I'm sorry. I took the liberty of taking that picture without you knowledge. It was a rare opportunity."

Our foreheads were practically touching. We were so close. Our hands were intertwined, gently pulling each other closer. Germany was actually smiling. I looked so happy. That night I had never felt so close to him. I decided I would remember this moment instead of the last. I sighed and put the picture close to my healing heart. On the back of the picture, something caught my eye. Japan had scrawled a little message. "True Love can never be hidden or stopped. It finds ways to reveal itself.' I looked to Japan, my eyes becoming teary again.

"Don't give up, Italy. The war may have ended, but your fight has only just begun."


	9. Kiss and Sorellina

"Veneziano, I don't understand. He's hurt you so much. The bastard left you twice already. Why even bother any more?"

Romano looked at me with his arms crossed. I was pacing around our kitchen. Would Germany let me in if I went to his house? How much pasta should I take?

"I have to make him understand. He has to understand that I'm not just going to let him be alone anymore. He's feeling so much more hurt than I am. I have to go back. I don't know why, Romano. Haven't you ever felt like that?"

Romano blushed. His face turned red and puffed out. He was starting to look like a tomato. The doorbell rang. Romano's face drained. He sighed and went to go answer the door.

"What the hell do you want?" I scowled. Romano really shouldn't answer our door like that.

"I-is Italy…I mean your brother, is he home today?" I knew the voice, Muddled as it was, I could recognize it anywhere.

"What's it to you, you potato eating bastard?"

"There's something…there's something very important I want to talk with him about. Can I see him? I would understand if he doesn't want to though…"

"I'm right here." I said. When Germany saw me, his back became perfectly straight. He was at full attention. I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

"I'm warning you! If you say anything that would mildly hurt my sorellina's feelings, I will personally blitzkrieg your fucking face."

"U-understood!"

I stepped out side and closed the door. I gave Germany a smile. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Ja…I'm still not very good at Italian. Your brother called you sorellina, what does it mean?"

"Oh, nothing that's just a pet name he gave me a long time ago." I said quickly. Germany took me by the hand and led me off the porch. We walked a ways and found a stream. I asked if we could stop for a bit.

I peeled off my boots, rolled up my pant legs and waded in the shallow stream. The cool water felt good in the hot summer sun. I turned quickly to gesture to Germany to come in too. My foot slipped and I fell face first into the water. My uniform was soaked.

"Are you okay, Italy?" Germany waded to me, not bothering to take off hid boots.

"Yeah, I'm just a little clumsy." I peeled off my pants and shirt and threw them to the shore.

"Wear this," he said, stripping off his uniform jacket. He wore a tight-fitting undershirt underneath. His face was getting red. Was he getting hot too? "You'll get sun burnt if you don't wear something."

"Oh! Thank you." His jacket was too big for me, but it smelled nice. Just like Germany.

Germany took my hand and led me to a rock ledged over the stream. We sat down. The water was at the right level for me to keep my toes dipped in.

Italy, I'm really sorry. I-I didn't know how to react back then, and I handled the situation badly. I hope you'll forgive me."

It had come to this already. It had almost seemed for a moment that we had slipped back to the time before that happened but time can't be reversed that easily.

"I understand. I had said something shocking. Anyone would have reacted like that. But, I can't forgive you for doing nothing wrong."

"No, I was wrong. I gave you the wrong impression."

Wrong impression? What was there to get wrong? I knew why he pushed me away. He couldn't possibly return my feelings.

"Japan was right, about pride. I hung onto it so closely, but I was holding onto what was hurting me," he said. He turned his face towards me. His eyes were a flawless blue, peering into me and exposing more of his soul than I had ever seen. They were beautiful. "I let what I had been brought up with hide what was going on around me. I knew that you loved me before you even told me, but I refused to acknowledge it. I was a coward. I couldn't recognize what I was feeling if it jumped up and bit me."

With hesitation, Germany placed his hand on my face. His fingers played with my hair.

"I'm throwing out all the rules now. This is really unnatural for me, but I think I'll be okay if I'm with you. You see rules are there to tell you what's right and what's wrong. Deep down, being with you feels right, so that's what I'm going to do. What I'm trying to say is that Italy, I love you."

He glided down to me, placing his lips on mine. It was gentle and hesitant at first. I put my hands on either side of his face and pulled myself into the kiss. I couldn't be close enough to him. He followed my, our passion matched in this kiss for the first time. I felt the best being with Germany like this. I felt complete for the first time. The moment didn't last long.

Germany had gone limp. I was the only one contributing.

"Germany, what's wrong?" He was out cold. A sheen of sweat started to form on his face.

I noticed something odd. My hands were red. In fact, my whole entire field of vision was turning red. My body hurt as if I was being changed from the very core. Was this the curse trying to ruin my happiness again? After a minute the pain stopped, and the red receded. I was breathing heavily. I looked at my hands. They were smaller, and I didn't remember the sleeves of Germany's jacket being this long. I looked down. I knew I hadn't had breasts before; they were barely covered by his jacket. I fastened it up as best I could.

"Italy," Germany muttered deliriously. He had grown feverish. I needed to get him home.

I slipped on my pants and fastened my belt at the last notch. They were still too baggy but they would have to do. My boots would be ay to big, so I didn't bother to put them back on. My feet sank into the mud under Germany's weight. He was so much heavier to me, and he wasn't helping me this time. I had made it to Germany's porch and I collapsed. I sat up and put Germany's head on my lap. I tried to wipe the sweat off as best I could. The door opened. A man with white-blonde hair and ruby eyes looked down at us.

"Well that's a first, I don't think I've seen you around before. You must be that girl that Germany's been thinking about lately. Kesesesese! Stupid brother tries to hide things from The awesome Prussia, but Prussia will find out all your secrets! Eh, he finally manages to land a pretty girl like you and he feints on you." He lifted Germany off me. I reached for him as he was taken away from me.

"Don't worry your pretty little face, I'll take good care of West." He flung Germany over his shoulder.

"Oh okay," I approached the man and kissed the forehead of the face resting on his shoulder. Germany's brother blushed from my sudden display of affection. "Tell him that I'll want to see him as soon as he wakes up."

* * *

I left knowing I really had nothing to worry about. I had to be confidant the Germany would be okay. He would still love me when he woke up. It would be hard to explain to him that I'm actually a girl, but I'm sure he would understand.

I waved at my brother, who was waiting for me at the porch. I started to run towards him. He was surprised when I suddenly hugged him I started to cry.

"Why are you wearing his stinking jacket? He didn't try anything…wait." He hugged me closer and then pulled me away. He could see the changes of my body. He hugged me closer, our tears of happiness mingling.

"La mia sorella! La mia sorellina! Il mio piccolo angelo perfecto! Vi ho mancato così tanto! Non mai lascio…"* He rambled on in Italian. My curse was finally gone. Germany had really loved me. His love for me had broken the spell. I would miss being a boy, but I knew my life belonged in the body of a girl. My life belonged to loving Germany.

* * *

* My sister. My little sister. My little perfect angel. I missed you so much! I won't ever let…


	10. Reappearance and Memories

Would I ever get used to this? I looked myself in the mirror. I ran my hands down my side along my new curves. I wouldn't be able to hide this from the other countries. How would Germany react when he saw me? I wasn't satisfied with any of the clothes in my closet. None of them fit me. I would have to go shopping. I settled for my regular uniform and headed out.

* * *

I had seen women in these before, but I had never seen so many sizes. Most of the other clothing was pretty simple. One number, and they were usually pretty small. These numbers were bigger and had letters, too. I picked up one. There was barely anything. It looked really itchy. Why would someone wear one of these? The sales woman said that every woman needs a few. I held it across my chest. I suppose it could be cute. I had a few plain ones now and one with lots of flowers.

"Italy? Is that you?" I heard a voice call. He was the worst person to find right now. I wanted Germany to know before him. I put the bra down and crossed my arms over my chest. Could he see them?

"oh ah..hello France!" I said, facing my body away from him.

"Picking out a present for your lady friend? I can't believe you're so grown up. I hope you're not planning to woo her like that. Your clothes look atrocious. Why are you wearing them?" He moved closer to me.

"I think Romano was playing a prank on me. In fact he's probably looking for me right now to laugh at me. I should probably go." I tried to get past him.

"I can't allow any relative of mine going out looking like that." He started to pull my shirt off of me. I grabbed the bottom and fought him to put it back down. I was clearly at a disadvantage.

"Why the sudden modesty? We're all men aren't we?"

"P-please big brother…I just want to…"

"Let her go!" A voice called out. My heart lifted.

"Germany help!" Did he know who I was? Would he come to save me?

He ran over and pushed France off of me. He grabbed me by my waist, and I wrapped my arms around him. He was back! I was so happy. He held me so closely; my skin felt electrified where he touched. I didn't even care if France found out now.

"I don't want to ever see you touching her like that, understood?

Both France and I picked up on that key word. Her. Germany knew I was a girl.

"Italy, you're a girl?" France said, eyes wide with shock just now seeing my curves.

"Italy, are you done here?" Germany said to me, moving his hand to mine

"Al-almost. I just got to check out." Germany paid for my new clothes, and we left the store. Germany waited on a bench while I went to go change. I blushed when I came out. I hadn't worn girl's clothes in so long. The soft fabric of the skirt felt weird. Germany invited me to sit along side him on the bench.

I sat down beside him. We were only a few inches apart. I started smoothing out my skirt. He must be so confused. This was going to be hard to explain. Germany grabbed my worried hand and started drawing shapes on the back. It calmed me.

"You look so beautiful like this," he said. I blushed at his compliment.

"You being a girl, it makes so much sense, like a big piece of life that was mixing fit right back into place. It explains so much." He paused, looking at me. I could see so much love in his eyes. It left me speechless.

"I started to remember things. I got these strange memories form when I was a child. I got memories of you. I remember you dancing across the floor as you cleaned. I remembered you making the most beautiful drawings. I remember how cute you looked with daisies in your hair. I remembered how sad you looked when I sad I wanted to be with you forever, and how I wanted more than anything else to make you happy."

"I'm tired of looking back to the past. I'm so much different then the person I was back then. I no longer want the power and the glory I wanted back then. But there's one thing that hasn't changed."

Germany pulled something out of his jacket. It was white with ribbons on the side. He gave me my old set of bloomers.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you, ever. I want you to take back you're parting gift because I don't plan to ever leave your side."

I clutched the underwear close to my chest. Tears formed in my eyes. I didn't think I could possibly be any happier.

"I guess I'll give you yours back, too." I enthusiastically threw myself into giving back his kiss, but this wasn't a fair exchange. Germany gave me so many kisses in return. I would never be able to return his love back for as long as I lived. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead on mine.

"Ich liebe dich für immer."*

* * *

* I love you forever

**AN: Thank you so much for staying with me the entire story! I really appreciate the support! I wrote another story. It is a prequel, sequel, but not an in-betweequel focused on some of my favorite characters that didn't get the ending they deserved. It is called Another Tomato Box Fairytale and is completely finished.**


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